Chapter Text
Jack was again in the lower sector, using his clout and medals to get him into a restricted area. He was standing in the ruins of his house when a huge destructor hover moved past and stopped, the voice that yelled at him to move making him raise his hand and wave it away.
The man started to climb down the ladder while still shouting abuse when he froze, looked past Jack and then started back up the ladder like the hounds of hell were after him. Jack turned to find Ianto standing in the cleared part of the street glaring at the hapless man who was now firing up the leviathan to retreat.
"Wow, I had no idea your Glare had such clout" Jack said, looking around his feet as he kicked at debris.
"What are you looking for so intently that you are holding up my crew?" Ianto asked softly, stepping over the barrier to enter the field of mush.
"Alice's room was about here. There was a small wooden jewelry box about… yay big… and she needs it for her attitude adjustment" Jack motioned with his hands and Ianto sighed, looking down at the ground like it might give him an answer, then he turned slowly before moving to his left a couple of paces, crouching and pulling from the dusty crap a wooden box.
"There is some damage to a corner but other than that, it seems intact. Lucia. Why does it call to Melissa?" Ianto asked, rising with the box in his hands.
"Empath" Jack blurted with alarm, then cleared his throat as the mutant calmly blinked back. "Sorry… ah… I am a telepath myself."
"I know. I hear you constantly."
Jack grinned as he stepped closer "No you don't, I have firewalls. The Academy taught me how to shield! but how did you… it called to you?"
"Well, I know the girl and I yelled out in her 'voice' to see if anything responded. There is some sort of trinkets in here with her mother's latent energy attached to them. Might be why she is acting out so much, it seems rather strong." Ianto handed the box to Jack and for the first time as their fingers brushed, he felt the gentle tingle of love from the box.
"Huh. I wondered why she took her mother leaving us so well… she kept a little piece for comfort" Jack sighed as he tucked the box under his arm "Thanks Ianto. Melissa was her name but after her mother left she insisted in changing it to Alice, to honour the name I had wanted to call her but had been denied. She wanted to please me, no doubt terrified I would leave too. So young, so much sorrow and anger. Hopefully this will smooth out that temper of hers."
"Well… it's worth a try" Ianto said, turning to step back out of the barrier.
"How did you know I was… oh right. I was thinking about it at breakfast. Shit, you hear me that well?" Jack asked.
"Only when I listen. I usually shield but I was actually trying to listen to her. She is so quiet, I don't think she knows her abilities are starting to shine. Maybe another reason she is so upset all the time? The upset of the entire colony surrounding her, and she isn't shielding" Ianto replied, hesitated then added "And she doesn't blame you for her mother leaving. She blames herself. And her brother. You do know that right? You wife saying she did not want the kids in the first place… she heard that."
"Shit."
"COMMANDER!"
Ianto swung to see another man approaching at speed "Sir, we have looters trapped in a collapsed building, the silly fuckers… sorry sir… the silly buggers went into a red stickered house and… it's all going down. They're just kids."
Ianto started to run, Jack following as he paused only to shove the box under the seat of his Hover as he passed it, stopping next to Ianto as they surveyed the large house that was groaning as some of it seemed to crumble.
"Fuck" Ianto huffed "there is so much…. I mean do we know if any of them are still alive?"
"Don't know Sir, we've had no response since the crumbling started. They could be trapped but… more likely squished now" came the tepid reply.
Ianto stepped closer and looked at his feet. Jack recognized the same thing from before and motioned with his hands for everyone to be quiet, watching as Ianto listened intently to something none of them could hear, then he suddenly jerked forward, running over the rubble as he called out "GET THE BIG BERTHA HERE … NOWWWWWW!"
Jack followed Ianto onto the second floor of the building as Ianto paused now and then as if listening, then turned to a doorway, hesitating now. "They're in there… but if we open that door the wall loses stability."
"So, what do we do?" Jack asked.
Ianto looked up as the huge crane came into view above them, Ianto motioning it down and he clutched it as he was lifted to the next floor's cleared ceiling as the top floor was completely gone and he started to bash on the floor or the room below.
Jack climbed up to help and panted out "What do I do?"
"Prepare to scream at your daughter" came a panted reply as Ianto broke through and Jack looked down with horror as Alice looked back up with her face showing equal horror and fear.
"Daddy?"
Jack didn't even stop to think, forcing himself through the widening hole to land in the room and look at the four kids huddled together, covered in dust, sweat and fear. "You fucking idiots!"
"Jack… come on. Abuse her later. It's unstable…. Lift." Ianto yelled his hands reaching into the hole and Jack seized his daughter, hefting her up for Ianto to seize and then she was gone. Ianto showing immense strength as he yanked her out into the dull light and shoving her aside to crouch and reach back in.
Finally, Jack was the last one out and he felt a rush of adrenalin as Ianto yanked him up with the same calm effortlessness as the teenagers. Ianto stared at him long and hard before turning away to help the other kids off the rubble and Jack seized his daughter by her arm "Come on. NOW!"
As Jack dragged his child out of the area, noticing that the others were surrounded by security to no doubt get a bollocking he also noted the fact no one defied him, letting them pass. Behind them the noise of the building collapsing was like a monster roaring, the shaking of the ground making the hover skip. He did see Ianto stumble moments before it happened, like he was suddenly releasing something. It was not until they were powering along towards the house that he finally registered why he had felt so strange back there.
Commander.
They had called Ianto Commander.
Really?
He had never given rank, did not seem to live by it so Jack never really thought about it. He did not answer to it wither so... did he even have true rank?
Ianto had just flexed slightly to protect Alice and let her get away with what the others will probably have to spend some community service for. He had just protected her.
Jack had a lot to think about.